Islamic State has blown up an electricity station, southwest of Kirkuk, an informed official from the electricity department in the province said on Sunday.

Speaking to AlSumaria News, the source said, "groups of Islamic State members set the electricity station of Therban village, near Fataha region, southwest of Kirkuk, on fire, burning the station and causing damages."

Technical teams, according to the source, who preferred anonymity, said "inspected the station as well as the damages caused as result of the blast in the station, which provides several villages in Hawija with electricity."

This comes as Iraq witnesses protests due to deteriorated living standards, unemployment, corruption, and electricity shortage, which urged the Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi to dismiss Qassim al-Fahdawi, the electricity minister, and refer him to investigations. Earlier this month the ministry said power supplies from Iran were halted due to Iraq's soaring debt, estimated at nearly one billion dollars. The move comes a day after the Independent High Electoral Commission endorsed Abadi's recommendations to sack five election officials in the wake of fraud allegations in the parliamentary elections, which took place in May. Mass protests were staged in the central and southern provinces of Iraq due to poor services offered by the government and corruption.

The demonstrations started in Basra province, but they later extended to other cities, including Nasiriya, Karbala and the Shiite holy city of Najaf. There were also protests in parts of the capital, Baghdad.